Thing good or evil without a Man's felf? Do I hurt any Body? Have I placed Happiness any where but in thy own felf? What fayeft thou? What Teftimony wilt thou give to thy God? Wilt thou cry and complain, faying, er dewors siui, núese, &c. Lord, I am in a very lamentable Condition; I am exceeding unfortunate; no Man cares for ine; no Man gives me any Thing; all difpraise me all difpraife me; all fpeak Evil of me. Is this thy Teftimony? Wilt thou thus difgrace thy Calling to which he hath called thee? When he hath done thee fuch an Honour, and thought thee worthy to be produced as his Witnefs in fo great a Caufe; wilt thou bafely reproach him? Then hear thy Doom. He that hath Authority pronounces thus, Ke

ἀσεβή

áσßn ny dvérov siva, I judge thee to be an ungodly and profane Wretch. Is this all? Yes; this is all. Thou art ungodly and prophane. i

And would not any Man of fenfe be affraid of fuch a Sentence? Is not this a more fad and lementable Condition, than that which he complains of? And yet this is the State of all Murmurers and Repiners at God's Providence. Inftead of defending him, when he expects it, they accufe him. When they fhould juftify him in the Face of the World, and it is in their Power to do him the greatest Right and Honour, they reproach his Administration, and are injurious to its Reputation. They turn to the other Side, when they are brought forth as his Witneffes on his behalf; and they reprefent him as faulty in his Government when they have the

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only Opportunity that can be given them, to clear him of all Harfhnefs! by being quiet, contented and patient in the midft of troubles, tliey make a vile Use of it, and impute to him the greatest Rigour or Neglect of them, by their perpetual Complaints. This he cannot but take exceeding ill at their Hands, and it will turn at laft to an heavy Account. Which it will be fafeft for us to prevent, by being faithful to him, and giving true Evidence for him, when we are called to it, and when he expects it from us, and when he intends it as an Honour to us, that we, rather than others, fhould be produced as the Witneffes of our God. Let us, I mean, when any Affliction befalls us, give God the Honour due unto his Name; and declare openly by the Meeknefs, and Patience, and chearful. Contentednefs of our Spirits, that we think him to be Wife and Good, as well as Powerful and Juft; and that nothing fhall alter this Opinion, and make us think otherwife. Let us profefs that we believe God can chufe better for us, than our felves: and that as we truft other fkillful Perfons, in fundry Cafes, rather than our own Judgment; fo we will truft God with the Government of our whole Life, which is a Bufinefs too big for us to undertake. By which means God will approve us for holy and vertuous Men, that bear a great Love to him. He will pafs, not only a favourable, but, a kind and honourable Sentence upon us and we fhall certainly receive great Commendation at that Day when

every Man's Praise fhall be of God. He who is the true and faithful Witnefs, Chrift Jefus, to whom all Judgment is committed, will not forget our hearty Affection; but reward us as his faithful Followers, in that Race of Patience, which is fet before us. Amen!

Adore and Praife, O Lord, thy Greatness, thy Power, Wifdom, and Goodness, which hine in all thy Works of Creation and Providence. They all show forth the Majefty of thy Glory; and are placed and move in fuck comely Order, that thou thy felf rejoiceft in all thy Works, and art perfectly pleafed even in that which gives us Grief and Trouble. It is our Duty, O blessed God, to be pleafed too, and to rejoice in this Knowledge which thou hast given us of thee, who art from everlafting to everlasting, and changest not: "But art ever the fame immutable Love, exercifing the most wife and tender Providence in every Part of this great World; and more efpecially over Mankind, to whom thou hast shewn. the highest Kindness, and given unquestionable Teftimonies of thy fingular Care of them, and Good-will towards them.

There is nothing I am fenfible fo unfeemly as a difcontented Mind, repining at the prefent, or diftruffing thee for the future; efpecially in us, who have been fo frangely favoured by thee, and bad particular Affurance of thy most gracious Inclinations and Purpofes to make us happy for.

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ever. I am afbamed, O my good God and loving Father, that fa much as one complaining Thought fhould arife in my Heart; befeeching thee to pardon me, and to reprefent thy felf fo fully and feelingly to me, that I may with a ferene and untroubled Mind receive whatfoever shall befal me: Tea, rejoice that thy most holy Will is done, though never fo cross and contrary unto mine. O, Sweet Jefus, who didft poffefs little and enjoy much, who didft endure much, and not complain at all, whofe Charity was far larger than all the Wants of miferable Creatures who providedft even for their Pleafure and decent Entertainment; and by bumbling thy felf haft obtained a most glorious Power, and promifed to bless us, and never leave us nor forfake us; bless me, I moft humbly beseech thee, with the fame contented Mind and Spirit. Imprint on my Heart the Image of thy bumble, meek, and patient Goodness. Make me feel that thy merciful Kindness endures for ever and fill my Soul with that Meat which abideth to everlasting Life, as once thou didst the Bodies of thy Difciples, with the Meat that perifbeth. While I think of what thou was, and what thou art, and what thou hast done, and what thou art able, and haft promised still to do for us, transform me by that means into the very "Spirit which was in thee. That I may be lowly in Heart, and Satisfied with my present Portion; and do Good and endure Evil, and conform to thy Will in every Thing, in Imitation of thy most excellent Example, and in Hope of that compleat Blifs, which thou art able and intendeft I fee to bestow

bestow upon me, both in Soul and Body in an immortal Life.

O God, what Things are thofe which thou haft laid up for those that fear thee; for these that truft in thee, and depend intirely on thy Goodness, and submit to thy Will and Pleasure! In what a kind Relation art thou pleafed to ftand unto us, that we may be confident thou dearly loveft us, and wilt take care of us? All Ages have experienced this Love, that thou, Lord, haft not forfaken them that feek thee: Therefore thy Face evermore will I feek. I will never doubt of thy merciful Kindness; but alwayes believe that thou art gracious and full of Compaffion: Fuft and True in all thy Ways, O thou King of Saints. Confirm and firengthen thefe boly Purpofes in me, by the Affiftance of thy good Spirit, making thefe Thoughts more ftrong, more lively and mightily affecting my Heart. So that I may be able to say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me.. He bath not Spared his only Son, but delivered him up for us all: How shall be not with him give us all Things? I will blefs the Lord at all Times, his Praife fhall be continually in my Mouth, my Soul fhall make her Boaft in the Lord, and I will rejoyce in his Salvation.

Obleffed Day, when we fhall fee Jefus again, and feel him changing this vile Body, and makeing it like his glorious Body, by the Power whereby be can fubdue all Things to himself! O happy Day, when all Tears shall be wiped away from our Eyes; and there shall be no Sighing or Sorrow,

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